Vancouver’s Unique Take-Out Experiences.
April 07 2021, Mercedes-Benz Vancouver
With the Vancouver restaurant industry pivoting back to take-out only, there’s no better time to support your favourite spots. Before you indulge, however, remember a few things. For starters, it helps to order directly from the restaurants rather than a third-party delivery service (and be sure to tip generously). Also, you don’t have to wait until Friday night for a take-out fix—Monday to Thursday works deliciously, too.
Fine Dining Essentials
In addition to its menu of handmade pasta and dal fuoco fare from their wood fire, Fraserhood’s beloved Savio Volpe recently pivoted to add a bottle shop concept to enhance its to-go offerings. The idea mirrors sister spot Caffe La Tana’s Vini Volpe natural wine nights—all labels and varietals are chosen with care—and adds to-go speciality coffees to the mix, as well as seasonal gelato crafted by their pastry chef for a little extra dolce vita.
Chef-owner J-C Poirier and his team at St. Lawrence are offering a special French regional dinner series for take-out, which features Lyon until the end of April. Think rich, traditional dishes like Pâté en Croûte au Ris de Veau & Foie Gras (a terrine made of veal sweetbreads and foie gras) and Confit de Canard, Pomme Salardaise & Sauce au Vinaigre (succulent duck leg confit served with duck fat potatoes). Pro tip: Set your home table with fine linens and candlelight for this French feast.
For a special-occasion meal of the carnivorous kind, you can’t go wrong with the Hy’s at Home menu. The iconic steakhouse boasts to-go specialty cuts of Canadian prime steak alongside cult favourites, like their famous Cheese Toast. The menu includes gourmet meal kits with step-by-step instructions for grilling and assembling at home in addition to ready-to-eat items. Need help flame-cooking your Bananas Foster? Hy’s has put together some handy online cooking videos to help you finish your meals just right.
Make at Home
Craving some umami-rich ramen? Kokoro Ramen has made their tasty bowls available through home-delivery service Beer Van/Food Van for easy home delivery. Your ramen will arrive ingeniously frozen and vacuum-packed, ready to pop in a pot, heat, and eat whenever you’re ready for it. Choose from classic Chicken, Spicy Paitan Chicken, Hearty Miso Vegan Ramen, or the fan favourite Tonkotsu, made from pork bones that have stewed for 10 hours straight.
Dubbed “Carrier Pidgin Meals”, Pidgin’s restaurant-quality home-cooked meals are accompanied by fun instructional videos, locally sourced ingredients, and tasty add-ons, such as Alba truffles. All you have to do is finish and season a few items. Don’t feel like cooking at all? They also have inventive, fully prepared take out options like Foie Gras Bowl feasts.
Najib’s Special, anyone? With a number of locations scattered around town, Nuba makes it easy to get your hands on their tasty Lebanese fare (including that all-star cauliflower dish). In addition to regular take-out, Nuba is offering up meal kits for order through their website and, for a limited time, pick-up orders will include a free “member for a day” pass for up to four adults and their kids to the Feast for the Eyes exhibit at The Polygon Gallery.
Specialty Offerings
Why wait for dinner when you can have tea? Notch8 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver has recently made its iconic Afternoon Tea available to-go. Presented upon a fanciful tea tower, you'll find bite-sized sweet and savory extravagences—think herbed chicken salad sandwiches, fresh blueberry cheesecake, and lemon macarons—accompanied by teas from Fairmont Lot35. (When the weather warms up in May, iced tea options will be served). Feel like turning tea time into happy hour? Add on a bottle of Moët & Chandon.
If you’re ordering from Coast, you’d be well-advised to eat with your eyes first, then feast with your tastebuds. This Glowbal Group seafood haven is offering a stunning Signature Sushi Box for six for pick-up, which includes everything your sushi-loving heart desires. Think sablefish nigiri, salmon aburi, spot prawn sashimi, and just about everything else in between.
Planning a special occasion at home? Go all out with the Signature Beijing Duck from Quan Ju De, that chic corner spot you may have spotted on West 12th & Cambie. The dish rings in at $98 for one order, but rest assured it is done right, and served alongside warm crepes, scallion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce.
Casual Take-Out
Treat yourself to an at-home brunch of ethereal carbohydrates, courtesy of Fufú Café. Sweet and savory Japanese soufflé pancakes are the speciality here (try the Smoked Salmon & Avocado). The café recently added Japanese sandwiches to their pick-up menu, including a must-try strawberry sando made with Fife Bakery organic milk bread, strawberries, and house-made white chocolate ganache whipped cream.
Commercial Drive’s comfort-food mecca Pepino’s Spaghetti House is coming in hot, bringing back their popular Downlow Chicken deep-dish pizza collaboration. This decadent deep-dish pie includes all the cheesy-tomatoey goodness you’d expect, with the addition of DL’s spicy chicken, pickles, and sauce. They also add special features to their take-out menu most days of the week. Saturday night Lobster Spaghetti, anyone?
When you’re craving the ultimate take-out burger, look no further than Pourhouse. Their new hamburger menu launched earlier this year with excellent dry-aged Cache Creek beef burgers. Add any toppings you may desire—from seared foie gras to pork belly, perhaps a fried egg—and be sure to tell the kitchen how well you want your burger done. Pro tip: Add one of Pourhouse’s famous Scotch Eggs, made with house-ground pork fennel sausage, and a couple of Negronis to go, too.
Potluck Hawker Eatery has mastered the art of take-out at their counter-service style restaurant. Chef Justin Cheung cooks up the best of Malaysian cuisine street food inspired by the ritual of a potluck. A coming together of stomach-filling, soul-warming dishes that will be sure to satisfy the most authentic take-out cravings. Stay tuned for their special occasion whole-crab takeout feast!
Clearly, there’s no time like the present to enjoy some of the city’s best cuisine from the comfort of your own home.
